Title: Faster! Faster! Faster! What about distance?
Summary:
Today is the fifth day we have been working on chapter one which focuses specifically on motion. We have completed all of section 1 and section 2 up to this point, covering position, location, reference points, motion, relative motion, speed, velocity, distance, distance-time graphs, and comparing the relationships between these concepts. The students have been working very hard taking power point notes, completing worksheets and reviews, and participating in classroom discussions, so today, I decided to reward them today with an exciting lab. The lab is called How does design affect speed? It focuses on comparing the relationship between speed and distance. The students will be working in small lab groups of four or five and will each have their own lab instruction sheet that they will need to fill in and hand it to me by the end of the period. During the period, I will working with each group seeing how they decide to design their car, help them along, answer their questions, and just to supervise. If for some reason the students did not finish the critical thinking questions on the lab, they will allowed to take the sheets home over the weekend to finish them but will be informed that it is their responsibility to turn them in first thing Monday morning. I will explain to them that I will not accept the lab after Monday. If they forget the lab or lose it or for any reason do not turn it in Monday, they will receive no credit for the entire lab.
Objective:
The students will be able to observe through lab experimentation the relationship between speed and distance.
Materials:
Clay
Film container lids
Toothpicks
Beam Balance
Books
Boards
Strings
Straw
Scissors
Stopwatch
Pen/Pencil
Instruction: Opening:
As soon as the students enter the room I will remind them that there is a lab today and to immediately take their seats so I can assign them their groups. I am going to show a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for the lab during this time, in hope that the students will thrive off of it and be intrigued in today's lab. As I call the names out for each group I will instruct the students to come forward and grab a lab handout from me and go to their assigned lab station.
Middle:
Once all the students are at their assigned lab station with all the necessary materials already in front in them, I will go over the directions with them as a class once. I will explain in detail what the students have to and answer any quick questions that they have. I do not want to waste a lot of time with the instructions because the students will need the entire lab period to complete this activity. I will be available the entire class, walking around from one station to the next, so the students will have easy access to my help if they need it. I will be keeping my eye on the time the entire class, making sure that the groups stay on track and are using appropriate time management.
Closing:
With about ten minutes left in the period, I will notify the class and make sure that they are finishing up the lab procedure and have all results recorded in their charts. I will gather a census from each group if their lab is complete. This means their cars were put together, they had the appropriate number of test runs, they made necessary changes to their designed car to make it go faster/slower, their chart is complete, and all the critical thinking questions are answered. If any groups were unable to finish, the class will take the labs home with them to complete over the weekend. They will be informed that they are to hand it first thing Monday morning and it is solely their responsibility to remember. If they forget to do so, then they will receive no credit for the lab.
Assessment:
The students will be informed at the beginning of class that this will be recorded as a lab grade, which is 30% of their quarterly grade. This lab is a great review of everything we have done this week, which is all of section one and two. On Monday, we will begin section 1.3 which will complete all of chapter one.
Summary:
Today is the fifth day we have been working on chapter one which focuses specifically on motion. We have completed all of section 1 and section 2 up to this point, covering position, location, reference points, motion, relative motion, speed, velocity, distance, distance-time graphs, and comparing the relationships between these concepts. The students have been working very hard taking power point notes, completing worksheets and reviews, and participating in classroom discussions, so today, I decided to reward them today with an exciting lab. The lab is called How does design affect speed? It focuses on comparing the relationship between speed and distance. The students will be working in small lab groups of four or five and will each have their own lab instruction sheet that they will need to fill in and hand it to me by the end of the period. During the period, I will working with each group seeing how they decide to design their car, help them along, answer their questions, and just to supervise. If for some reason the students did not finish the critical thinking questions on the lab, they will allowed to take the sheets home over the weekend to finish them but will be informed that it is their responsibility to turn them in first thing Monday morning. I will explain to them that I will not accept the lab after Monday. If they forget the lab or lose it or for any reason do not turn it in Monday, they will receive no credit for the entire lab.
Objective:
The students will be able to observe through lab experimentation the relationship between speed and distance.
Materials:
Instruction:
Opening:
As soon as the students enter the room I will remind them that there is a lab today and to immediately take their seats so I can assign them their groups. I am going to show a lot of enthusiasm and excitement for the lab during this time, in hope that the students will thrive off of it and be intrigued in today's lab. As I call the names out for each group I will instruct the students to come forward and grab a lab handout from me and go to their assigned lab station.
Middle:
Once all the students are at their assigned lab station with all the necessary materials already in front in them, I will go over the directions with them as a class once. I will explain in detail what the students have to and answer any quick questions that they have. I do not want to waste a lot of time with the instructions because the students will need the entire lab period to complete this activity. I will be available the entire class, walking around from one station to the next, so the students will have easy access to my help if they need it. I will be keeping my eye on the time the entire class, making sure that the groups stay on track and are using appropriate time management.
Closing:
With about ten minutes left in the period, I will notify the class and make sure that they are finishing up the lab procedure and have all results recorded in their charts. I will gather a census from each group if their lab is complete. This means their cars were put together, they had the appropriate number of test runs, they made necessary changes to their designed car to make it go faster/slower, their chart is complete, and all the critical thinking questions are answered. If any groups were unable to finish, the class will take the labs home with them to complete over the weekend. They will be informed that they are to hand it first thing Monday morning and it is solely their responsibility to remember. If they forget to do so, then they will receive no credit for the lab.
Assessment:
The students will be informed at the beginning of class that this will be recorded as a lab grade, which is 30% of their quarterly grade. This lab is a great review of everything we have done this week, which is all of section one and two. On Monday, we will begin section 1.3 which will complete all of chapter one.